Five Charged With Voting Violations in Stearns County

(KNSI) — Five people are facing felony charges in Stearns County after allegedly violating voting laws.

According to the criminal complaints filed in Stearns County District Court, Hassan Abdulkadir, Calia Bynum, Bradley Haugen, and Sarah Nesenson, all of St. Cloud have been charged with previous crimes making them ineligible to vote. Jill Kelley of Cold Spring is accused of voting twice in the same election.

The criminal complaint against Abdulkadir says he was convicted of felony terroristic threats in October of 2020 and was on supervised probation at the time of the election on November 3rd, 2020. His civil rights, including the right to vote, had not been fully restored. An investigator reviewed Abdulkadir’s voting record documentation, including a voter identification record, voter registration history, voting history, and voter transaction record. The criminal complaint says Abdulkadir appeared in person at a polling place in St. Cloud, provided his driver’s license, registered to vote, and voted in that election. When confronted by investigators, Abdulkadir said he wasn’t aware that he couldn’t vote. He has been charged with registering as an ineligible voter and voting as an ineligible voter.

According to the criminal complaint filed against Bynum, she was convicted of felony financial transaction card fraud in January 2019 and was on probation on November 3rd, 2020. Prosecutors say she went into a St. Cloud polling station and registered to vote and cast a ballot. When an investigator interviewed Bynum, she said she was not aware she couldn’t vote. The criminal complaint says Bynum was part of group orientation in March when she signed a probation agreement saying she could not register to vote, vote, serve on a jury, or hold public office until she was off probation and her civil rights had been restored.

Bradley Haugen has been charged with intentionally making false or untrue statements on an absentee ballot application after allegedly applying for and receiving an absentee ballot in June. Prosecutors say Haugen signed the box indicating the applicant is eligible to vote, including the stipulation that “convicted of a felony, my felony sentence has expired (been completed), or I have been discharged from my sentence.” An investigator spoke with Haugen, who allegedly told them he knew he wasn’t eligible to vote and that he threw away the ballot and did not vote. Stearns County elections staff confirmed that Haugen had not returned the absentee ballot and had not successfully voted.

Kelley is accused of voting twice in the presidential primary election in March of 2020. Investigators reviewed voting documentation related to Kelley casting two ballots. They said one ballot was cast absentee and was requested on February 20th. It was submitted, received, and accepted on March 3rd. The other ballot was cast in person at the Wakefield Township Hall polling station on March 3rd. Investigators say Kelley signed the in-person voting form and handed over her driver’s license as verification. The criminal complaint says Kelley denied voting in person, but the investigator reviewed the signatures on her driver’s license and said it was consistent with the signature on the oath form and the signature envelope. She is charged with illegal voting.

Nesenson is charged with registering as an ineligible voter after investigators say she was previously convicted of felony fifth-degree drug possession in 2019. In April 2020, Stearns County election staff said they received a Minnesota Voter Registration Application form signed by Nesenson while she was still on supervised probation. Her civil rights, including her right to vote, had not yet been restored. The criminal complaint said an investigator spoke with Nesenson, who denied voting in 2020. She said it was possible she requested an application but denied applying to vote. She said she knew she was on probation and couldn’t vote, but the criminal complaint says there was a male voice in the background who was apparently coaching Nesenson on what to say. She also allegedly told investigators her former probation agent worked with her to get her voting rights restored in December of 2020, but the agent said they did not recall ever speaking with Nesenson about applying to vote before her probation was completed in December.

The criminal complaint said Nesenson also left a voicemail for the investigator saying the registration may have been submitted after she renewed her driver’s license, but the investigator confirmed that the application was submitted in April and that her driver’s license was renewed in September.

Abdulkadir and Bynum are each facing two charges. Haugen, Kelley, and Nesenson are each facing one charge. If convicted, the maximum sentence for each charge is five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

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